Classic Football Shirts: The Manchester-brand revolutionising the sports fashion industry
Classic Football Shirts owns the most diverse, exciting and prestigious collections of sports jerseys available anywhere in the city - offering people the chance to get their hands on special strips from years gone by.
There’s a shop on Deansgate that’s a mecca for football memorabilia.
It’s called Classic Football Shirts – and it’s the proud owner of the most diverse, exciting and prestigious collection of sports clothing available anywhere in the city.
Fully-stocked with hundred of special strips, Classic Football Shirts (CFS) is a big deal for sports fans in Mancunia – having earned its status as a trusted, leading stockist of vintage jerseys you simply can’t find anywhere else.
It’s a proud addition to our city. And it was all set up by two Manchester students.
Doug and Matt were both studying Business at Manchester Metropolitan University when they recognised the gap in the football merchandise market.
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One of the students had been selling items on eBay to make some much-needed money during university, whilst the other has been hunting for an original Germany 1990 shirt ahead of the 2006 World Cup.
Eyeing an opportunity to work together, the pair aimed to build up a small collection of shirts from all the major football clubs.
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Fast-forward to 2020 and Classic Football Shirts have worked with almost every major brand and team in the last 10 years – stocking over 30,000 individual items.
CFS have two stores in Britain: one in London and the other in Barton Arcade, down the road from where it all began.
“Football is definitely a huge part of Manchester’s culture and this is where it all started for Classic Football Shirts; the city is definitely at the heart of the business,” say CFS.
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“A football jersey is the voice that represents a city, neighbourhood, an identity and a way of life… the combination of crest and colours unites fans across the globe.”
CFS recognise the sense of pride and belonging that comes with football strips; and their aim has been to make vintage, authentic jerseys more accessible.
“You see the shirt, you remember the moment,” said CFS.
“It gives you a brief second of the initial rush all over again. We have had people walk into our warehouse and burst into tears because it takes them to a special place”.
CFS have a team dedicated to sourcing different shirts – from classic jerseys to super-rare strips.
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The items aren’t just aimed at dedicated collectors, either. CFS emphasise how there is no right or wrong way to wear a shirt, and there’s something for everyone in their store.
“Our customers range from fanatical shirt collectors to general football fans to someone who just wants a shirt to play in,” they explained.
“The shirts have different uses and have a different meaning to each individual which makes them much more special.”
As for the future of their brand, the team are confident that it won’t be stopping any time soon.
With football destined to remain close to peoples’ hearts, even during a pandemic, there’ll always be new shirts to acquire and fans to satisfy.
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“There have been many monumental moments in the early 2000s that shirts that were once new to us, are now considered classics,” CFS tell us.
“The industry continues to grow and isn’t showing signs of slowing down.”
Shop Classic Football Shirts’ extensive collection in their Barton Arcade store, or check out their website for the latest online deals.
Sport
Manchester United reject offers for Mason Greenwood as rep says he ‘should be allowed to move forward with his young life’
Danny Jones
Manchester United have reportedly rejected a number of offers for Mason Greenwood as the club continues their internal investigation into his behaviour.
The club have reportedly received a number of offers for the young forward from Turkish teams in recent weeks and months while Greenwood has been suspended from playing or training. He has yet to return to the sport after charges of attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and assault occasioning actual bodily harm were dropped.
The charges handed down in January 2022 were ultimately dropped last month when key witnesses withdrew, more than a year on from the incident that was widely circulated on social media.
Now, following a behind-the-scenes feature by The Athletic and ‘new material’ leading the Crown Prosecution Service to drop the case for the foreseeable, it seems United are now the only party still investigating Greenwood, with his own team and figures around the club pushing for a resolution.
▪️ Police spoke to #MUFC about Greenwood during lockdown ▪️ Senior staff offered guidance but no specialists brought in ▪️ Man United have rejected offers from Turkish sides as internal investigation continues
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) March 27, 2023
Speaking to Laurie Whitwell as part of the piece, one of Greenwood’s representatives argued that there is “no real substance” to the allegations, them “a mix of old news, speculation, half-truths and completely untrue claims.”
He went on to say, “Mason is 21, he has been cleared and should be allowed the opportunity to rebuild and move forward with his young life.”
Another source is also said to have told the outlet that the youngster has been fundamentally changed by the experience, insisting that he “would run through a brick wall” to be back playing at United.
As for the club’s stance, it remains to be seen what their final decision on his future will be, but it was reported earlier this month that a potential return is still “firmly under consideration” and his number 11 shirt has not yet been vacated as many would have expected if he was set to move on.
His potential ‘phased return’ could include everything from therapy to a TV interview.https://t.co/DTisidvpRr
On the other hand, the article goes on to detail questions surrounding Greenwood’s conduct and general attitude during his relatively short time as a senior player too, the suggestion being that he was slacking in training because “he knew he was a good player”.
His attendance at Carrington is said to have been raised as an issue on more than one occasion and then-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær often covered for training sessions and games he missed after failing to turn up to the team hotel for “unexplained absences”.
Another source who watched him play aged just 16 also went on to reveal that Bradford-born academy product “wasn’t shy about telling someone they were s***”, apparently even calling out Cristiano Ronaldo as “dead [finished]” when he was still at Real Madrid.
Greenwood played over 100 senior games for United and was widely considered one of the brightest young prospects in England, let alone the club, but the career trajectory he looked to be on is widely different from the problematic position he finds himself in now, regardless of any offers from abroad.
Commentator Arlo White shows off what the Old Trafford gantry walk looks like
Danny Jones
Ever wondered what it’s like to be up in the gantry in a football stadium, say, Old Trafford? Well, we certainly have.
You see the odd shot of the commentators sat there on the telly from time to time but it never really gives much away either and, at some venues, it’s quite a ways up there. There’s a little bit of allure behind these mysterious parts of footy grounds that most fans will never get to see.
After hours of mindless scrolling on the social media app, we stumbled across the well-known sports commentator‘s channel where he’s been showing off what it’s like to go in the gantry and one of them is his long walk to crow’s nest up at the Theatre of Dreams.
As it turns out, Arlo’s been doing these videos for a couple of years now, revealing how the gantry looks not only at Old Trafford but other big Premier League grounds too, such as down the road at the Etihad, Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, Tottenham Hotspurs’ sparkly new ground and many more.
Another reason we found ourselves stuck on his TikTok for so long was also because of the other behind-the-scenes details he reveals too, even shedding light on how he prepares for games: note-taking, data sheets, how keeps himself warm up there during those cold nights on comms and so on.
Daisy Bradbury -
9th October 2020 
